Medications that cause weight gain?

KateSimpson17

So I know weight loss/gain is all about CICO, so when medications list "weight gain" as a side effect why is that? Do they increase appetite, or make you retain water or something?

seska422

For me, it stimulated appetite. It also made me feel so much better that I was afraid to stop taking it.

I had worked for 2 years and I was getting close to my goal weight. I had problems and my doctor prescribed Paxil. I gained 10 pounds per month. After a few months, I told my doctor that I needed to stop taking it because I was gaining weight. She said that I needed to keep taking it and that the weight gain would eventually taper off.

I took it for 15 months before I quit it against her instructions. I gained 150 pounds.

AsISmile

For some medications the weight gain comes from water retention.
I'm not sure, but I believe that in some cases a certain type of medicine may decrease bmr. Can't remember the specifics though.

RaspberryTickleChicken

It depends on the medication and what part of the brain or body it is meant to effect.

Many depression & mood prescription medication have somewhat of an impact on cravings for carbs.

The theory is that the drugs interferes with other brain chemicals such as histamine or a sub-group of serotonin-containing cells, thereby promoting hunger.

While others could be as simple as water retention. It just depends.

snickerscharlie

kateyb94 wrote: »

So I know weight loss/gain is all about CICO, so when medications list "weight gain" as a side effect why is that? Do they increase appetite, or make you retain water or something?

It depends. The vast majority of meds that list weight gain as a possible side effect do so because they may tend to increase appetite thereby causing the users to overeat and gain weight. Other drugs may increase water retention which results in temporary weight gain.

There are certain drugs, however, for whom a *small* percentage of users experience "unexplained weight gain." Weight gain that cannot be attributed to either an increase in appetite, water retention or edema. For these people, especially if the drug is needed long-term, it can be beneficial to explore other meds in the same category (if available) which have the intended medicinal effect without the unwanted weight gain. Failing that, and if the drug is needed long term, the only other option is to compensate for the weight gain factor through diet and exercise.

I'm one of the unlucky few for whom a specific long term medication (one for which a suitable substitute hasn't been found yet) not only slowly increases my weight, but forces me to compensate by leaving lots of extra calories on the table each day in order to actually lose weight.

So, to sum up, weight gain outside of increased appetite and temporary water weight gain does happen, but rarely.

thatredheadedBAMF

I gained weight on generic Wellbutrin. I never felt full no matter how much I ate so I ate more of what I usually ate. Within five weeks I could no longer fit in 90% of my clothes. I quit cold turkey against doctor's advice. I had to go buy new workout pants since I basically sprouted a hard, pregnant-looking gut. Two months later, still have it! Prior to this I had maintained a weight loss of 85-ish pounds for over five years. I'm still the fattest I've been since 2009 and I am PISSED. I will never ever take another anti-depressant ever again. I'd rather be dead than go back to being fat.

snickerscharlie

Interesting, I was on Wellbutrin to stop smoking. It made me feel slightly nauseous, and my doctor and I were joking that I might be the only person to quit smoking and *lose* weight at the same time.

Unfortunately, there were other more serious side effects that the Wellbutrin gave me, so I ended up having to quit smoking without it.

Timorous_Beastie

Sometimes through increased appetite, sometimes through fluid retention, sometimes through changes to your metabolism.

FatFreeFrolicking

For me, they completely changed my metabolism and as a result, I now have a medically low metabolic rate.

mbaker566

steroids are also known to have this issue. just hungry all the time

DawnieB1977

I took something called domperidone after I had my second baby as I had supply problems and it supposedly increases lactation (one of its side effects). It's really an anti-nausea drug that's often given to people having chemo, so I suppose it affects digestion? Anyway, I very rapidly gained weight, which isn't great when you've just had a baby and are feeling crap about your body anyway. I'd been starting to lose the pregnancy weight before I started taking it.

Debmal77

moyer566 wrote: »

steroids are also known to have this issue. just hungry all the time

This is definitely how they effected me. I was just going to mention that. Thanks.

lithezebra

Prednisone mimics cortisol, which keeps your blood sugar high, which makes you want to eat more to keep on keeping your blood sugar elevated. It's hard to resist the urging of one's hypothalamus.

NightShiftMedic

All of the above are correct. Long term corticosteriod (prednisone, etc.) use can cause you to develop fat pads on your back and other places that sometimes don't go away after you stop. The antidepressant type meds usually have that affect through chemical manipulation in your brain. Others cause you to retain water.

nxd10

My son has been on two medicatiaons that affect weight - one causes you to gain, one to lose. Both do it through changing appetite. One was an anithistimine (gain) one an anti-seizure med. (Both were for migraine.)

mbaker566

I'm actually going to be working on taking myself off one medication and then the other because when I wasn't taking all my medications (4-5 2x a day) regularly I was losing weight. now that I am, my weight is creeping up again.

Foamroller

lithezebra wrote: »

Prednisone mimics cortisol, which keeps your blood sugar high, which makes you want to eat more to keep on keeping your blood sugar elevated. It's hard to resist the urging of one's hypothalamus.

Ty for sharing this. I ballooned up after being put on Prednisone during autoimmune attack, even when eating 1200 net kcal/day. Took a complete rehaul of diet to start repair metabolism. It was unfortunate timing, but I believe Prednisone worsened the situation.

Phrick

The biggest gainers for me that I've ever taken were two psychiatric medications, Zyprexa and Seroquel. Not only did they have the effect of increasing my appetite, I also experienced a slowing of my metabolism during the times that I took them as well as severely diminished energy. So I was constantly having gnawing hunger pains, and even though I was aware of what I was eating and tried to make the best choices, and THOUGHT my eating patterns didn't change much/at all, I still ate more than my body needed b/c my metabolism was altered. Add that I was a virtual zombie on the couch so none of the extra got burned off. The triple-wammy of too much food-slowed metabolism-little movement added close to 50 pounds in total to my waistline over about 6 months, and THAT didn't help with the symptoms we were trying to treat via those drugs, at all.

I have been on many other medications that have the reputation of being "gainers," including lithium, thioridazine, flurazepam, and others, and yet lost close to 70 of my pounds strictly through diet and exercise even while taking them. But Zyprexa and Seroquel were different, for me.

kyrannosaurus

I've been on various psychiatric medications that caused me to gain weight. They made me absolutely starving hungry. I would wake up in the middle of the night and be unable to get back to sleep because I was so hungry. I put on a lot of weight but it was only because I ate way too much food.

Soyviz

This is a great question! So glad you brought it up. I have been on a drug for 7 yrs that not only slows metabolism but also increases appetite. Last year I gained 15 lb in a month though I was exercising three to four times a week and not eating a ton. Then I upped my exercise, lowered my food intake, and the lb kept creeping on. Finally the ascent stopped, decreased a bit, and now I'm stuck, still 15 lb overweight. Am eating 1500 cal per day, doing cardio and strength training 6x weekly (over 300 mins weekly) and weight hasn't budged. Your post reminded me to call my doctor and explore alternatives. Thanks!

karenkasbi

I've taken anti depressant back in 2011, I took it for one year and it made me so restless that I wanted to eat all the time, I gained 50 pounds in 1 year. These anti psychotic and anti depressant medications are the worst. Too many side effects. I stopped the med and got in shape but it ruined my life for some time. They make you agitated and restless.

Phrick

karenkasbi wrote: »

I've taken anti depressant back in 2011, I took it for one year and it made me so restless that I wanted to eat all the time, I gained 50 pounds in 1 year. These anti psychotic and anti depressant medications are the worst. Too many side effects. I stopped the med and got in shape but it ruined my life for some time. They make you agitated and restless.

Be careful painting with such a broad brush. For me and many others, these meds are in fact the best thing that ever happened. I'm alive today because I took these medications and others. There are dozens on the market as well, if you can't tolerate one or don't like the effects, by all means try something else. Your post feels dangerously close to demonizing ALL psychiatric medications for all reasons (and maybe that's my own bias coloring things) - all that does is further the sigma and potentially keep someone from taking the thing that may turn their life around.

valleydoula

I am on two medications that cause weight gain. One is due to appetite stimulation and the other is simply because it actually changes the metabolism. When I began that one it came on fast. No sneaking up on me. I began with my friend and PT on a full body workout that intervals strength and cardiovascular. It was tough. I watch and track meals and pay attention to having my heavier carbs in the morning plus lots of lean protein. Now I am down 25 inches. . I don't weigh myself. I'm down 3 sizes and that's only since April. So regardless of side effects, I am proof that with a healthy lifestyle you can buck the odds.
Oh and I just turned 40. So there's another strike... plus 3 surgeries a year ago.

CSARdiver

Note that these adverse events are reported in clinical observation and pulled from patient diaries, so there is very often no direct causation. I work in pharmacovigilance and due to regulations forced to report some pretty ridiculous stuff which ends up on product labeling.

For example after taking a local anesthetic one year prior - the patient reported sunburn, so we were forced to review and submit "May cause sunburn". Your government at work.